Calling all Pokémon Trainers! Nintendo and The Pokémon Company International just unveiled a special opportunity to play the Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! games for the Nintendo Switch system before they launch on Nov. 16. The cross-country Pokémon: Let’s Go, Road Trip! tour kicked off today in Los Angeles with multi-platinum recording artist, actress and self-proclaimed Pokémon fan Jordin Sparks, who joined hundreds of fans to play the new games and mingle with Pikachu and Eevee in person.

Over the next two months, fans across the United States will have a chance to visit this colorful pop-up tour, featuring Pikachu- and Eevee-themed trucks, fun photo opportunities, special giveaways (while supplies last) and demos of the Nintendo Switch games. The game demos will also feature the Poké Ball Plus accessory, a new controller compatible with the games that looks and feels just like a real Poké Ball. Each stop on the tour will feature an exclusive (and adorable!) Pokémon Snapchat filter that can only be accessed at the event locations, and Pokémon GO players may even notice a higher frequency of Pikachu and Eevee sightings near the events!

“Pokémon games have always inspired a sense of adventure and community, and we’re excited to bring that to life with the Pokémon: Let’s Go, Road Trip!” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Whether someone is a longtime Pokémon fan or a budding Trainer, this new pair of games offers a vibrant region to explore, Trainers to battle and, of course, tons of Pokémon to catch.”

The Pokémon: Let’s Go, Road Trip! will visit seven additional cities across the country, culminating with an epic midnight launch event at Nintendo NY on the evening of Nov. 15. As a celebration of the very first introduction of Pokémon in the U.S., one of the tour stops will be in Topeka, Kansas, which was the site of the launch event for the original Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue games for the Game Boy system – almost 20 years ago!

Pikachu and Eevee continue their whirlwind tour with their next stop in San Francisco on Oct. 6. The full tour schedule and locations are as follows:

San Francisco, CaliforniaOct. 6, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Seattle, WashingtonOct. 13, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Dallas, TexasOct. 20, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Topeka, KansasOct. 27, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Chicago, IllinoisNov. 3, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Boston, MassachusettsNov. 10, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

New York, New YorkNov. 15

For specific time and location details, please visit https://www.nintendo.com/switch/events. Eagle-eyed fans might notice that many of these tour stops are located near popular Pokémon GO PokéStops or Gyms. That’s not a coincidence, as players can bring select Pokémon from Pokémon GO to Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! Players can transfer Kanto-region Pokémon – including Alolan and Shiny variants – that they’ve caught on their mobile devices in Pokémon GO over to the Nintendo Switch games to take them on a new adventure. Fans visiting the Pokémon: Let’s Go, Road Trip! are encouraged to catch some wild Pokémon on their smartphones while they wait to demo the Nintendo Switch games.

In Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! players take on the role of a female or male Pokémon Trainer and set off on an adventure with their partner Pokémon – either Pikachu or Eevee, depending on what version of the game they play. Players will go on a new journey through a familiar setting as they explore the Kanto region to capture Pokémon and battle other Trainers. They can even share the journey with a friend in two-player co-op mode. When playing with the Poké Ball Plus accessory, which is sold separately or included with one of the announced bundles, players can make a gentle throwing motion to feel like they are really catching Pokémon.

Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! launch exclusively for Nintendo Switch on Nov. 16. A bundle that includes one of the two games and the new Poké Ball Plus accessory launches at a suggested retail price of $99.99. On the same day, a special bundle featuring a Nintendo Switch system with themed Joy-Con controllers, download codes for either the Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! or Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee! game and the Poke Ball Plus accessory comes to stores at a suggested retail price of $399.99. For more information about Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!, visit https://www.pokemon.com/PokemonLetsGo.

13 comments

I have no idea who Jordin Sparks is, but obviously they’re desperately trying to rack up PR and noticeability for the Let’s Go games through this advertising campaign. Again, I have my doubts. Casual Go players are not going to shell out $360 for a Switch and Let’s Go. And the dedicated core players already don’t like what they’ve done with Let’s Go’s mechanics.

Which means that 90% of the people buying these games are going to be Go players who already have a Switch. And those are the people Nintendo and Game Freak have to convince to shell out $60 for another casual Pokémon title.

Jordin is such a talented singer. You might or might not know her 00s hits Tattoo and No Air. She placed #1 on American Idol…I think. She hasn’t had a hit in awhile though so when I saw this I was like…oh no :\

Yeahhh, who? I’ve never heard that name before. Also, you can’t transfer non-Kanto Pokemon to LGPE??? Are Game Freak deliberately sabotaging this game so Nintendo stop bugging them about making baby-friendly games?